Wine region
Rioja
Rioja is Spain’s best-known wine region: Tempranillo on the Ebro, the Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva tiers and a long tradition of oak ageing.
- Vineyard area
- over 66,000 hectares in three zones: Rioja Alta, Alavesa and Oriental
- Main grapes
- Tempranillo, with Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo; Viura leads the whites
- Climate and soils
- Atlantic in the west, Mediterranean in the east; chalky clay, iron-rich clay and alluvial soils
- Status
- Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) since 1991, the first in Spain
- Ageing tiers
- Crianza (2 years), Reserva (3), Gran Reserva (5), in 225-litre barriques
- Landmark
- Haro: the station quarter and its wine architecture
Rioja lies in northern Spain on both banks of the Ebro and covers more than 66,000 hectares of vines. It has three zones. Rioja Alta in the west is the largest at about 28,000 hectares; the climate is Atlantic, and higher sites give fresh wines with plenty of acidity and good ageing potential. Rioja Alavesa, north of the river, sits in the shelter of the Sierra de Cantabria, is cooler than the other zones and has chalky clay soils that produce wines with body. Rioja Oriental in the east, formerly called Rioja Baja, is under Mediterranean influence and is warmer and drier.
The main grape is Tempranillo, which takes up most of the vineyard. Beside it stand Garnacha for freshness, Graciano for colour, aroma and acidity, and Mazuelo, rich in tannin; 14 red and white varieties are authorised in all. Among the whites, Viura, called Macabeo in Catalonia, has long led. Blending varieties and sites is classic Rioja, although single-site wines are gaining ground: since 2017, zone and village wines have been joined by the regulated single vineyard, Viñedo Singular.
Rioja is famous for the ageing tiers on its labels. A Crianza has aged at least two years, at least one of them in oak. A Reserva needs at least three, with at least a year in barrel and six months in bottle. A Gran Reserva ages at least five years, with at least two in barrel and two in bottle. The barrel is the 225-litre barrique. American oak was long the signature of Rioja, with notes of vanilla, coconut and dill; today many cellars also use French oak, alone or in combination, which is more discreet. White and rosé wines follow shorter periods.
In the glass a young Rioja suggests cherry and strawberry, a Crianza adds spice and vanilla, and a mature Reserva or Gran Reserva leather, tobacco, dried fruit and soft tannins. These wines are more elegant and taut than massive. They suit lamb, braises, ham and hard cheese, and a young Rioja also goes with tapas. In recent years Spain has been, after Italy and France, the third-largest source of the red wine imported into Switzerland, and Rioja is its best-known region.